Free clinics help seniors save on prescription costs

Student pharmacists from University of the Pacific will hold free clinics in eight Northern California cities this fall to help Medicare recipients save money on their prescription drug costs, evaluate their medications, and provide health care screenings and services.

Now in its seventh year, the annual program of Pacific's Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has served 2,236 Medicare beneficiaries, saving seniors an average of $706 per year on their out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.

This year's clinics will be offered during Medicare Open Enrollment in three Bay Area cities - Palo Alto, San Jose and Berkeley - as well as in Sacramento, Lodi, Stockton, Tracy, and Modesto. (Dates and locations are listed below.)

Trained pharmacy students will assist beneficiaries with new plan enrollment, determine if they qualify for additional government assistance to offset out-of-pocket medication costs, and explore other cost-savings opportunities.

Under the supervision of licensed pharmacists, the student pharmacists will also offer vaccinations, diabetes screening and blood pressure, cholesterol and bone-density testing. In addition, the student pharmacists will be available to provide comprehensive medication reviews and answer all medication-related questions.

"We seek to ensure that an individual's medications are safe to take together, identify any severe medication-related issues, provide detailed medication counseling and create a personalized medication record," said student pharmacist Albert Tasmin, regent of the Gamma Nu chapter of the Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity at Pacific and an organizer of this year's clinics.

When necessary, students will contact a client's physician or pharmacist with specific recommendations for helping to resolve medication-related issues.

Since the program's inception, Pacific student pharmacists have identified 289 potentially severe medication-related issues among clinic clients, including drug-drug interactions and sub-optimal drug therapy. All told, pharmacy students have held 62 clinics in 15 California cities, volunteering a combined 14,000 hours of time.

To participate in a clinic, please call for an appointment. Phone numbers for each clinic are listed below.

Participants should bring their red, white and blue Medicare card, all of their medications, and, if they have previously attended a Pacific clinic, their Pacific Healthcare Passport. Participants who do not have a passport or have lost theirs will receive a new one at the clinic.

For general information about the program, visit go.pacific.edu/medicareor call 209.932.2958.

About the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

The University of the Pacific, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is renowned for its time-proven curriculum and unrivaled commitment to student success. The school, based in Stockton, offers professional degree programs in pharmacy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology, as well as advanced degrees in pharmaceutical and chemical sciences. In collaboration with the University of the Pacific, Eberhardt School of Business, it also offers a joint Pharm.D./MBA degree. The school is part of the University of the Pacific colleges and schools, which offer acclaimed professional degree programs in law, business, accounting, dentistry, and pharmacy — as well as 80 undergraduate majors — on three Northern California campuses.

For more information on University of the Pacific, visit Pacific.edu. To learn more about Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, visit Pacific.edu/PHS. For more on the school's Medicare Part D outreach visit go.Pacific.edu/Medicare.